SHM Converge Scientific Abstract ePoster Gallery-Implementing a Process for Universal Food Insecurity Screening for Hospitalized Adults

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The project aimed to create a sustainable, universal food insecurity screening process for hospitalized adults at the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC). Food insecurity is common in Monroe County and is associated with worse health outcomes, including poor glycemic control, higher cardiometabolic risk, and increased healthcare costs. Before this initiative, there was no standardized inpatient screening workflow, and baseline screening on one unit identified very few patients.<br /><br />A pilot was launched on a 26-bed hospital medicine unit in June 2021. The team set a goal of screening 80% of patient encounters by the end of September 2021. A validated two-question U.S. Household Food Insecurity Scale was built into the electronic admission workflow for nurses. Questions asked whether, in the past 12 months, patients worried their food would run out before they had money to buy more, or whether the food they bought did not last and they lacked money to get more. Responses were recorded as never, sometimes, or often true.<br /><br />Implementation included interdisciplinary workflow planning, daily nursing education during safety huddles, interactive simulations, and ongoing adjustments through plan-do-study-act (PDSA) cycles.<br /><br />After 28 weeks, 587 patients had been screened, representing 61.5% of encounters. Among those screened, 21 patients (5.8%) were identified as food insecure and referred to Social Work for food resources. The project showed that food insecurity screening could be successfully integrated into nursing workflow and helped identify patients who might otherwise have been missed.<br /><br />Key limitations included difficulty screening patients with cognitive impairment and staffing challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. Future plans include expanding the process to other units, improving automation of Social Work referrals, partnering with a local food pantry, and evaluating whether patients use the resources provided.

Asset Subtitle

Richard J. Rambuss

Meta Tag

Author List Elizabeth Pope-Collins, Emily Gore, Joseph A. DiTursi, Meghan Train, Richard J. Rambuss

Category Innovations

Concept Food Insecurity Screening

Concept Hospitalized Adults

Concept Screening Pilot

Concept Food Insecurity Tool

Concept Screening Completion Rate

Distinguished Non-Finalist

Presenter Organization Strong Memorial Hospital

Presenting Author Richard J. Rambuss

Track Quality Improvement

Keywords

food insecurity

hospital screening

universal screening

inpatient workflow

nursing education

electronic admission workflow

social work referral

validated questionnaire

patient encounters

URMC

Food Insecurity Screening

Hospitalized Adults

Screening Pilot

Food Insecurity Tool

Screening Completion Rate